Generation Wired: What Does Technology Do to Our Ability to Imagine?
A while back I read an article titled, “In Praise of Not Knowing.” Tim Kreider argued that Internet tools such as Google and Wikipedia take away some of the wonder of childhood ignorance, the mystery of leaving things to chance. Recent reports say that and much more, as many scientists have begun to investigate the effects of excessive Internet usage on Millennials. Nicknamed “Generation Wired,” Parade’s analysis of America’s hyper connected youth sheds light on a number of important topics, yet the report and others like it fail to recognize the true issue at hand: What does technology do to our abilities, as humans, to imagine? Does it diminish the trait of curiosity in Millennials and for generations to come? Or do these dramatic changes in society merely highlight the progress made in technology and beyond?
Everyday we unknowingly ask these questions, whether it’s Googling a recipe or finding an answer to a homework question. Sometimes, I purposefully don’t use these easily accessible Internet tools in order to leave some of pieces of information in the air. By the time most kids are ten years old they’ve already been somewhat exposed to the digital world, whether it’s through that new cell phone “for emergencies only,” or with that secret Facebook they’ve made to talk to their friends. Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, an acclaimed pediatrician who’s concept of “Facebook depression” has gained large notoriety, discusses the benefits ofsocial media, “It promotes a lot of healthy habits like socialization and a sense of connectedness to the greater world and to causes.” Yet several studies have shown the negative effects of young adults’ constant texting (nearly 50 per day!) on school performance. The highly publicized topic of “cyber-bullying” runs rampant as teens of all ages find themselves obsessively comparing themselves and their social lives to those of their friends. These new, unprecedented developments have left many wondering if the benefits of social networking and technology will ever outweigh the disadvantages.
All of these discoveries are fine and dandy, yet what do they tell us about the human factor of technology? Nothing, nothing at all. To look at these statistics alone is to miss the majority of the story. Supporters of these technological improvements could say that much of these negative changes in society could have occurred without the addition of social networking and the Internet. Obviously, the risks outweigh the benefits by a large margin. All too often the long-term plight of “Generation Wired” is overlooked so that tech gurus and progressive young adults may arrogantly praise the immediate benefits. Shorter attention spans and poor grades are just the most publicized after-effects. Only time will tell the true aftershock of the technological age and all of its “benefits.”
Haley Samsel is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. She is a high school freshman in Plano, Texas where she is involved with Partner’s PE, a program that allows students to help special needs kids to earn their PE credit while making friends and gaining confidence in themselves.
Haley Samsel is a Featured Blogger for Mobilize.org’s The Millennial Report. She is a high school sophomore who lives in Plano, Texas, which gives her a pretty unique view (in her opinion) on politics and Millennial issues. Outside of the Millennial Report, Haley enjoys playing basketball, reading biographies and watching cooking competition shows, among other things.
